Raytheon has been awarded a contract for the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) of the personal electronics computer and display system for the US Army’s helicopter pilots as part of its Air Soldier system programme.
Under the terms of the $4.7m contract, Raytheon will design, develop and qualify three of the six components in the suite of integrated personal electronics, including a wrist-mounted touch-screen computer designed to enable pilots to maintain constant situational awareness both inside and outside the cockpit.
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The components also includes the soldier computer module, which serves as the main processing and storage unit for the system, and a mounted display for mission and navigation information respectively.
Raytheon Technical Services president John Harris said: "Among other developments, the Air Soldier system will be lighter, last longer and provide more integrated controls. This translates to enhanced situational awareness that better supports the mission."
The new computer system is intended to provide the pilots with critical information on enemy targets, similar to the heads-up display (HUD), which is then transmitted to the troops on the ground, as reported by The Verge.
The Air Soldier is an advanced aircrew mission and protective suite, designed to replace the traditional Air Warrior (AW) system, currently in service with the rotary and select fixed wing helicopter pilots of the US Army, Navy and Marine Corps.
The system is expected to enter service with the army before the end of 2015.
